Font strip structure

ABSTRACT

The font strip consists of a dimensionally stable photographic film on which have been developed timing marks and type characters. The font strip is accurately positioned on a rotating drum by guide posts which project through apertures on the font strip. The font strip is secured to the surface of the drum by the engagement of an end plate fastened to one end of the font strip, which end plate projects through pins mounted to the surface of the drum. The other end of the font strip is bent within a hooked end plate which engages a correspondingly tapered hook portion of the font drum. A tensioning mechanism associated with the font drum affords the necessary tension to maintain the font strip on the drum.

This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 804,466, filedMar. 5, 1969, by the same inventors, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,121 issuedOct. 5, 1971.

The font strip of the present invention is used with thephotocomposition machine described in the aforementioned patentapplication. That photocomposition machine accepts justified orunjustified text in the form of coded character identification signalsfrom any communication media such as magnetic or paper tape, wireconnected keyboard, telephone line, etc., and provides an outputgenerally of phototypeset and justified text material to be used in theprinting of newspapers, books, magazines or other similar publications.The output of such a photocomposition machine may also be used foradvertising, records, drawings, etc.

The techniques of photocomposition in which a character image isprojected from a rapidly rotating wheel or drum through a projectionlens system onto a photosensitive medium have developed into anestablished technology. The ever increasing use and demand forphotocomposing machines has created a need for improved structure forstoring the characters. Along with the increasing use of photocomposingtechniques there has also been generated a need for providing anincreasing number of different type fonts and character styles. Theversatility of photocomposing apparatus is considerably enhanced byimproved font strip structure which enables such versatility to beobtained with a minimum amount of time and with improved reliability.

A feature of the present invention relates to the positioning of thefont characters on a master film strip which is accurately mounted on afont wheel by readily detachable mountings, thereby enabling a number ofdifferent type fonts to be selected as desired.

Another feature of the font strip relates to the end plates which areattached to respective ends of the font strip to engage the fasteningmeans on the font drum or font wheel.

An additional feature is the tensioning means, which form a part of thefastening means, and maintain the proper tension of the font strip onthe font drum.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a reliable low-cost andsimplified font strip structure which affords readily changeable set-upsfor a number of different type text setting functions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved structure forremovably mounting a font strip to a font drum in a phototypesettingmachine.

A third object is to provide a font strip mounting structure havingimproved durability and reliability.

These and other objects and features of the invention will becomeapparent in the following specification and the drawings which disclosean exemplary embodiment of the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a detailed illustration of the font wheel assembly and themeans for mounting the master font strip to the font wheel;

FIG. 2 is another detailed view of the font wheel and the means forsecuring the font tape to the wheel; and

FIG. 3 is a detailed illustration of the font tape showing thephotographic images of the characters and the timing slits.

ENVIRONMENT OF THE FONT STRIP

As described in the aforementioned patent application, thephototypesetting machine with which the font strip is used comprises aphoto unit having three main sections, namely, a character presentationsystem, a projection lens assembly, and a paper advance mechanism. Thecharacter presentation system includes a continuously rotating fontwheel, a Xenon flash lamp, an optical diffuser, a master font strip, anda photocell lamp assembly or font timing generator. The font strip hasnegative images or characters of one or more complete type fonts and isattached to the surface of the font wheel. Timing slits or marks areaccurately positioned alongside the font images so that as the fontwheel is rotating, the photocell assembly senses the slits to providecharacter alignment information to a computer to activate a Xenon flashlamp at the proper instant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FONT STRIP

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, font wheel 10 includes a plurality offont strip guide posts, three of which, 12, 14 and 16, are shown in FIG.1, for the purposes of accurately positioning font strip 18 on the outersurface of the font wheel. Guide .Iadd.posts .Iaddend.12, 14, 16 projectthrough respective guide apertures 20, 22, 24 which are preciselylocated on font strip 18. One end of font strip 18 includes metal endplate 26 having holes 28, 30 which respectively engage securing pins 32,34 mounted to block 36 of font strip tensioning mechanism 38. Block 36is mounted on the free end of spring rod 40, the other end of which ismounted on font wheel 10 by bracket assembly 42.

The other end of font stip 18 includes hooked end plate 44 which engagestapered hook 46 of the font wheel. Font strip 18 is placed on the drumby engaging hooked end plate 44 with tapered hook 46, inserting theapertures in the font strip over guide posts 12, 14, 16 and thensecuring end plate 26 over pins 28, 30. Font strip tensioning mechanism38 provides the necessary tension to secure the font strip to the fontwheel. Finger hole 48 in flanged rim frame 50 affords a means by whichspring rod 40 may be depressed to aid in engaging or disengaging pins28, 30 from their respective apertures in end plate 26.

Front strip 18 is preferably a strip of dimensionally stablephotographic film on which have been developed negative timing marks 52and negative type characters 54 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. A typicalfont strip will have 180 or more characters which is sufficient toprovide two different fonts of type on each font strip. Timing marks 52and type characters 54 are transparent, thereby enabling light to beprojected through them. Timing marks 52 are aligned with respect to thetype characters 54 so as to provide the necessary timing signals to thecomputer to enable a selected type character to be illuminated at theproper time and projected in the proper position on the line being seton the film as font wheel 10 rotates continuously.

The relationship of the circuitry necessary to provide the timingindications to the computer and for projecting the images from the fontstrip to the photographic film is described in the patent identifiedabove.

What is claimed is:
 1. .[.A font strip.]. .Iadd.Structure .Iaddend.formounting .Iadd.a font strip .Iaddend.to a frame support inphototypesetting machines, comprising;guide apertures for mounting saidfont strip to said frame support, negative font characters and timingslits located along respective opposite sides of said font strip inaligned relationship with respect to each other. one end of said fontstrip includes means for engaging said frame support and the other endof said font strip includes end apertures, and said frame supportfurther includes resilient means engaging said end apertures to securesaid font strip to said frame support.
 2. .[.A font strip.]..Iadd.Structure .Iaddend.as in claim 1 further comprising additionaltiming slits interleaved between said timing slits to indicate differentvertical alignments of said font characters.
 3. .[.A font strip.]..Iadd.Structure .Iaddend.as in claim 2 wherein said timing slits aredivided into two groups, one of said groups representing top of bodyalignment and the other group representing base line alignment.
 4. .[.Afont strip.]. .Iadd.Structure .Iaddend.as in claim 1 wherein said meansfor engaging is a hooked end clip and said frame support furtherincludes a hooked end plate for receiving and retaining said hooked endclip.
 5. .[.A font strip.]. .Iadd.Structure .Iaddend.as in claim 4wherein said one end of said font strip is folded, said hooked end cliphas a bent end portion for retaining said folded end and attaching saidfont strip end to said hooked end clip. .Iadd.
 6. A font strip adaptedto be mounted on the rotatable font wheel of a phototypesetting machine,comprising an elongated strip of substantially dimensionally stablematerial having opposed side margins, two free ends and font charactersspaced along its length, fastening means at one of said free ends forattaching said one end to said font wheel and including at least oneaperture therein being adapted to engage at least one post attached tosaid font wheel, and fastening means at the other of said free endsincluding a bent portion forming an acute interior angle with theremainder of said last-named fastening means and adapted to engage apart of the font wheel that forms an exterior angle substantially matingwith said acute angle, so that said font strip can be releasably held onsaid font wheel in stable position between both said fastening means..Iaddend..Iadd.
 7. A font strip as claimed in claim 6, wherein there aretwo of said apertures, each engaging a respective post attached to saidfont wheel and each being located on a different side of thelongitudinal axis of said font strip. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 8. A font stripas claimed in claim 6, wherein said strip is formed with a plurality ofholes spaced along its length inwardly of its side margins, said holesbeing adapted to engage guide posts on the font wheel for alignment ofsaid font strip therewith. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 9. A font strip adapted to bemounted on the rotatable font wheel of a phototypesetting machine,comprising an elongated strip of dimensionally stable photographic filmhaving opposed side margins, two free ends and font characters spacedalong its length, transparent timing slits formed in said film alongrespective opposite sides of said font strip in aligned relation to eachother and in accurate relation to said characters to enable thecharacters to be photographed during rotation of the font wheel,fastening means attached to one of said free ends in the form of an endplate rigid with respect to said film and having at least one apertureextending therethrough, said aperture being adapted to engage a postattached to said font wheel, and fastening means attached to the otherof said free ends in the form of an end plate rigid with respect to saidfilm and including a bent portion forming an acute interior angle withthe remainder of said last-named fastening means and adapted to engage apart of the font wheel that forms an exterior angle substantially matingwith said acute angle, so that said font strip can be releasably held instable position on said font wheel by said end plates. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. A font strip as claimed in claim 9, further comprising additionaltiming slits interleaved between said transparent timing slits toindicate different vertical alignments of said font characters..Iaddend..Iadd.
 11. A font strip as claimed in claim 10, wherein saidadditional timing slits are divided into two groups, one of said groupsrepresenting top of body alignment and the other group representing baseline alignment. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 12. A font strip adapted to be mountedon the rotatable font wheel of a phototypesetting machine, comprising anelongated strip of substantially dimensionally stable material havingopposed side margins, two free ends and font characters spaced along itslength, fastening means at one of said free ends for attaching said oneend to said font wheel, and fastening means at the other of said freeends in the form of a hooked end clip adapted to be received andretained by a hooked end plate on said font wheel, said other free endbeing folded and said hooked end clip includes a bent portion forretaining said folded end and attaching it to said hooked end clip, sothat said font strip can be releasably held on said font wheel in stableposition between both said fastening means. .Iaddend.